Liverpool's Simon Mignolet out to cement his place in Kop history

SWEEPER KEEPER: Mignolet is thrilled to have become a top goalkeeper after being rejected as an outfield player in his teens [ACTION IMAGES]

Pictures show Ray Clemence, Bruce Grobbelaar and Pepe ­Reina all captured in their prime.

But Mignolet was not inspired to become a footballer by ­watching those legends – or ­anyone else between the sticks.

His heroes were ­Zinedine ­Zidane, Romario and Bebeto as he dreamed of ­starring in front of goal.

But when he was released from the Sint-Truiden youth academy in Belgium – because he was viewed as not good enough – his world collapsed.

Just another starry-eyed kid on the scrapheap.

Mignolet’s career got back on track when his dad Stefan, himself a former ­goalkeeper, told him to pull on the gloves.

He never looked back and ten years later is the ­established No.1 at Liverpool, playing a huge role in their bid to secure a ­Champions League spot – and on his way to the World Cup with Belgium.

Mignolet, 25, said: “I don’t know if many guys know this but I was still playing outfield until I was fourteen or fifteen.

“When I was younger I looked up more to outfield players rather than goalkeepers.

“So I remember players from the World Cup in America and the World Cup in France. I remember players like Romario, Bebeto and also Zinedine Zidane in the World Cup in 1998.

“It’s a bit of a special one. Rather than look at goalkeepers when I was younger, my heroes were outfield players because I was an outfield player myself.

“But I was released from my players’ academy in Belgium because I was struggling. They said it was better to move on and find a club where I could play on a regular basis.

“My dad always used to be a goalkeeper and when I left he said, ‘Why don’t you choose to be a goalkeeper?’ – so I went to a local team for nine months and my academy scouted me again.

“I went straight back in as a keeper in the same team where I played before as an outfield player.

“I’m sure we are strong enough to get the three points”

Simon Mignolet

“I wasn’t bad as an outfield player because I played for my professional academy when I was younger.

“I started up top and moved back. And now there’s no way to go back any further.”

Mignolet is delighted with the career swap, having gone backward to go forward and is earning rave notices in his first Anfield ­season after signing from ­Sunderland.

And no wonder after six clean sheets in games where ­Liverpool have notched up the full 18 points to push them ­further into the Champions League reckoning.

Mignolet’s new world comes full circle when he faces Stoke this afternoon in the return ­fixture from the opening day of the season, when he became an instant hero, saving a late ­penalty from Jonathan Walters.

The smile still cannot be wiped from the face of the intelligent stopper, who has a degree in ­political science.

Mignolet added: “I ­received a lot of reaction saying that it had been a while since the atmosphere was like that at Anfield at the end of a game.

“Everyone was talking about how they felt, the moment it happened.

“For me personally, I don’t really feel it that way because it happens so quickly.

“Looking back, if you take the story into account, the fact that it’s your debut at home, it’s the 88th minute, it’s one-nil and you can save a penalty.

“It’s something that you dream of.

“It’s nice to look back. But Sunday is a new game.

“A new ninety minutes to play. Three points to win, three points to lose.

“It’s a new job in hand, to make sure we do the right things.

“Then I’m sure we are strong enough to get the three points.

“But that first game still brings a smile to my face ­because it’s a nice moment.

“It was good to see that we were in the top four but there is still a lot of work to be done to make sure we get our objective at the end of the season.”